Beginning Birders Trip — Windsor, Hants County. Leader: Patrick Kelly 494-3294 (w) 472-2322 (h) Email: patrick.kelly@dal.ca. Limited registration. Pre-registration is required.  These trips are geared for those who have always had an interest in bird watching, but were not sure how it was actually done. Bring binoculars and field guides, if you have them. Meet at 9:00 a.m. at the parking lot for the Windsor Tourist Bureau, which is just north of Exit 6 (Water Street) on Highway 101. We should be 1–2 hours and will visit a few different types of habitat in the town of Windsor. No storm date for this trip.

Cornwallis River Greenway — Murray Colbo and Bernard Forsythe will lead this walk which will start behind the Foodland in Coldbrook, which is located along Highway 1 at South Bishop Road, about three kilometres west of Exit 14 on Highway 101. The trail is on the old rail bed which is now resurfaced with gates and is restricted to walking and bicycles. As the trail is flat with two rest sites with benches and tables and designed to be wheelchair accessible so all are welcome. This section runs through mixed forest with two stream crossing and parallels the Cornwallis River with its broad flood plain. An interesting fen is also present. For those in the Wolfville area who wish to carpool meet at the Wolfville Waterfront at 9:15 a.m. or meet Murray and Bernard behind the Foodland in Coldbrook at 10:00 a.m.

Put on your hiking shoes and join Geologist, Ron Buckley, on a journey through time with this very easy, slow-paced walk on the beach in front of Cape Blomidon. The red sandstone and shale that has formed Cape Blomidon was deposited between 245 and 210 Million years ago. The rock that can be seen on the cliff is the youngest sediments of the series. Discover and explore all these rocks on the beach plus igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks from as far away as New Brunswick that have freighted here by the glaciers between 100,000 and a mere 15,000 years ago. It really rocks! The walk will be on the sand and rock of the beach so wear good walking shoes; water-proof not required. Ages 10 and up. For more information contact Kari at (902) 584-2331 or
 
brownkm@gov.ns.ca

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Nova Scotia’s provincial parks are a great place for stargazing ? not much light pollution here! Join Larry Bogan, from the Blomidon Naturalist Society and Minas Astronomy Group, for an up-close peek at our cosmic neighborhood through a telescope! Dress warmly; bring along a chair & binoculars if you have them. Don?t miss this exciting chance to get to know your universe! The event will be about 2 hours in length. Campers, day user, and locals welcome. Fun for all ages! In case of bad weather, contact the park at (902) 582-7319. Contact Kari at (902) 584-2331 or brownkm@gov.ns.ca. 

Kingsport Mudflat Critters (shells, snails, clams, worms, crabs, mud shrimps, sand shrimps, etc.)  Jim Wolford (902-542-9204) will lead us on a hike to the bottom of the Minas Basin at low tide to see the incredible diversity of life on the mudflats.  Rubber boots or old washable shoes are a must. Meet at the Wolfville Waterfront at 7:45 a.m. or the Kingsport Wharfat 8:15 a.m. This will be a very low, low tide, so that the high tide at 15:38 in the afternoon should be very impressive and possibly even a bit damaging to some dykes.

Four Mile and Two Mile Lakes Canoe Trip – Larry Bogan (902 678-0446, larry@bogan.ca) will lead a trip to this beautiful area of the southwest end of the Gaspereau Lake complex of flooded area.  It has many interesting islands and a beautiful inlet stillwater to explore for wildlife. This will be a half-day paddle so bring a lunch and we will find a nice spot to eat.

Meet at the Park and Ride lot at Exit 13 off Highway 101 (Route 12 exit) at 8:30 AM. Access is via a woods road south running between Aylesford and Gaspereau Lake. I have driven this road with my Toyota Matrix - there are some uneven areas but it is passable with care. A high clearance vehicle is better of course. There is abundant parking at the put-in spot which is about 75 metres from the shore (carry in). The access point is shown on BNS webpages (click on Local Trails/Waterways then on Lakes and Stillwater Access). If there is rain and/or heavy wind then the trip will be take place on Sunday the 19th.

 Floodplain Hotspots for Southern Hardwood Herbs by Nick Hill. who is a plant ecologist. 

Nick Hill trained in botany at Acadia with Sam VanderKloet (BSc/MSc) and received his Ph.D in microbial ecology at Dalhousie University. His post-doctoral work was done with Paul Keddy in 1988 looking for the reasons for rarity in plant species in 47 lakes in southwest Nova Scotia. That began his interest in rare plants and conservation biology.

Taught at Mount St. Vincent 1989-2003. I continued research into the rare elements of the coastal plain flora in NS. This period also included three and a half years in Kentucky where he did sabbaticals and fell in love with their deciduous forest flora and found a new bible: Lucy Braun's Deciduous Forest of Eastern North America.

He now works as a wetland consultant and part-time lecturer at Dalhousie's College of Sustainability and at St. Francis Xavier (field course) and he is developing a native plant nurery at his farm in South Berwick.

He will be comparing two very different wetland systems: the acid, infertile coastal plain lake shores, and the fertile floodplains of eastern Nova Scotia.

Sherman Williams (542-5104, sherm@glinx.com) will lead a trip to see the tidal bore at the Mantua Bridge and again at Scotch Village. This field trip will be about 2.5 hr long. The tides are at high, so the tidal bore should be very good. Those who wish to carpool should leave the parking lot at the Wolfville waterfront at 10:30 a.m. sharp to meet the trip leader at the tourist bureau  (on the water side of the 101) at Exit 6. at 11:00 a.m. (Remember that the tide waits for no man!). That will let us see if from Tidal View farm, at 11:40 a.m., the Mantua Bridge at 12:20 p.m., and a third time, at the Scotch Village bridge \at 12:40 p.m.  

Join the Chebucto Hiking Club for a moderate/difficult 13 km hike at Blomidon Provincial Park. This hike is suitable for adults only and is rated 4C-a good deal of significant hill climbing and a significant part of the walk takes place on somewhat difficult terrain (rocky, rooted paths). We will meet at the Blomidon Provincial Park lower parking lot. Please bring lunch and lots of water. Contact Dawn or Tom at (902) 434-9447, email
 
chebuctohiking@hotmail.com

 
or visit
 
www.chc.chebucto.org

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Changing climate, and global warming in particular, are all over the media today, and record setting heat waves, floods and droughts are reported routinely.  Various groups promote activism to limit emission of greenhouse gases, while other have questioned the validity of the human contribution.  This lecture will examine the science behind changes in climate, what the record actually shows, and how the media have reacted to the issue.

[NOTE: This meeting will be held in Room BAC241 in the Beveridge Arts Centre]

Dr. Raeside is the head of the Department of Earth and Environmental Science and Acadia University. 
He received his B.Sc., University of Aberdeen (1976); M.Sc., Queens University (1978), and Ph.D., University of Calgary (1982). One of the courses he teaches at Acadia is Atmosphere, Weather, and Climate which investigates the composition, structure, and dynamics of the atmosphere; weather, climate, and biogeographic patterns; microclimatology; paleoclimates, paleogeography, and extinctions; human effect on air quality; and climate change. 

Astronomy Observing Session – Join Roy Bishop (542–3992), Patrick Kelly (472-2322) and members of the Minas Astronomy Group to observe the night sky. Constellations will identified by the use of a laser pointer. Jupiter will be well-placed, the Moon is at first quarter, and there is a minor meteor shower (the North Taurids). Meet at 7:00 PM at the old parking lot at Grand Pré National Park. Bring binoculars (or telescopes) and be sure to dress warmly.